Purchasing price curiosity | GTAMotorcycle.com

Purchasing price curiosity

adrisen

Well-known member
As I slowly do my searching for my summer riding fun, I had a good friend tell me that I should be looking at bikes that are within the last 5 years because of technology changing. Everything else I am told is then too old.

That being the case how do sellers justify selling at 7000$ brand new and sparkling in the dealership and I am seeing online same model and being sold between 4500-6000$ either private or still at a dealership.

At what point are you buying a vintage bike where you know your paying a premium for that. Do bikes not depreciate the same way a car does.

I have been looking at vehicles that are between 2004-newer. Should I be staying within the last 5 years because of its age.
 
You really need to decide what your looking for. I mean generally. Fuel injection or not, abs or not ...
 
Lots of perfectly viable (and way more affordable) bikes in the 10 year old range. Potentially less expensive to insure as well as with a cheaper insurance price comes the lack of necessity for disability coverage if you don't want/need it.
 
Because they're seasonal, bikes fluctuate more like boats, rather than a solid depreciation curve like that of a car. Now, if you're looking for a deal on a good recent model bike, take a look at a dealer's new non-current inventory. These can sometimes be 0km bikes, that are discounted drastically. Last year I bought a 17 shadow and paid MSRP mainly because I financed through Honda. A friend of mine also bought a shadow with zero kms, still in the crate, from the same dealer. He paid in the neighborhood of $6k cash because it was a 14 model year. But he has practically the same bike as me, and it was in the exact same condition as mine, with the exact same warranty.
 
Because they're seasonal, bikes fluctuate more like boats, rather than a solid depreciation curve like that of a car. Now, if you're looking for a deal on a good recent model bike, take a look at a dealer's new non-current inventory. These can sometimes be 0km bikes, that are discounted drastically. Last year I bought a 17 shadow and paid MSRP mainly because I financed through Honda. A friend of mine also bought a shadow with zero kms, still in the crate, from the same dealer. He paid in the neighborhood of $6k cash because it was a 14 model year. But he has practically the same bike as me, and it was in the exact same condition as mine, with the exact same warranty.

I did that when I bought my first bike. It was a 13 and the 15 were on the floor.

But thank you for the explanation.


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a few things in there, my comments below in red

As I slowly do my searching for my summer riding fun, I had a good friend tell me that I should be looking at bikes that are within the last 5 years because of technology changing. Everything else I am told is then too old.

no drastic changes in the last 5 years to rule out anything older than that
while ABS has become much more common, it is far from new tech
and there are plenty of 10 year old bikes ABS equipped

That being the case how do sellers justify selling at 7000$ brand new and sparkling in the dealership and I am seeing online same model and being sold between 4500-6000$ either private or still at a dealership.

dealers will advertise MSRP, and pretty much stay close that when selling
they of course have to pay staff, keep the lights on and run a service dept
no different than any other consumer product, better deals online

At what point are you buying a vintage bike where you know your paying a premium for that. Do bikes not depreciate the same way a car does.

bikes do depreciate, although because of the typical low mileage in NA
not quite as fast as cars....and some bikes are exceptions of course
a Hyosung is worthless as soon as you take delivery - some will say prior to this
and certain brands/models will retain value better than others
I believe the insurance industry calls anything >15 vintage

I have been looking at vehicles that are between 2004-newer. Should I be staying within the last 5 years because of its age.

plenty of ~10 year old bikes that have current technology
and will have tons of life left in them
garage queens, but it takes some searching and patience to find them
if you're looking for something specific
 
Why your friend could be right:

--Many newer bikes have shaft driven cams. Stretched/broken cam chains have been the death of many MC engines.

--ABS if you can't ride properly.

--Fuel injection eliminates draining carb bowls, clogged jets etc.

--Liquid cooling if you plan to spend a July day riding in Toronto, the world's most clogged up sucks-to-ride-in city.

--Tubeless tires, even with spokes.

--Computer controlled ignition

If you're mechanically handy your friend could be wrong:

--Carbs on old bikes are easy to maintain if you know your way around an engine.

--Air cooled engines are way less hassle from a long term maintenance perspective. No mucky gasket leaks, cracked radiators, flushing coolant, etc.

--Many modern engines still require valve shims (unless you get a Harley with hydraulic lifters). Many older engines have adjustable rockers - 100% easier to work with.

--If you can change a cam chain the red neck way stretched chains are still a drag, but a fixable problem.

--Older bikes cost less on insurance.
 
My 20 year old bike is worth more than my old 10 year old car. Old tech still runs and performs just fine. Style is a different matter, but it up to you there. I ride to ride, not look at the bike....mostly. ;)
 
Different models , and different manufacturers suffer depreciation faster than others. Some manufacturers will discount a new old stock with a dealer to move inventory and others seem to let them sit.
There are some 10 yr old bikes selling for more than new and the odd one selling for double.

Pick a bike you like, find a deal you can live with and go riding.
 
There are lots of great older bikes out there. The older I get, the older the bikes I am buying! lol I started off on a new, non-current bike that was 2yrs old but still brand new. The next bike I bought (12yrs later) was 9yrs old but had been owned by a professional detailer and was in showroom condition with under 30,000km on it. Rode it or 8yrs and put roughly 40,000km on it trouble free. Current bike (bought last September) was nearly 13yrs old and in immaculate condition, every bit as good as new with 36,000km on it. Previous owner was a retiree and washed/detailed the bike after every ride and kept extremely detailed service records. I have a feeling it's going to be a long while before I sell this one!

The point is, if you're willing to search, there are bikes that are 10yrs old or more that are in amazing shape and the price will leave a lot more $$ in your pocket to go riding. Having the latest and greatest tech on a bike isn't always a good thing. The more computers and techie stuff on a bike, the more it will cost to repair if it ever fails. I admit that fuel injection is nice to have, but some of these new bikes have traction control, ABS, ride-by-wire throttle and cruise control even. If you feel you need these then they're worth it, but lots of folks have ridden a lot of years and a lot of miles without them.
 
What sparked my curiosity is that I had a friend look at a 2008 kaymco venox. The seller was asking $4000. I thought that was high so I did some searching to see that when it was brand new it retailer for $4300.


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Why your friend could be right:

--Many newer bikes have shaft driven cams. Stretched/broken cam chains have been the death of many MC engines.

What?! I dont think I have ever seen a bike with a shaft driven cam....Please list some example, as all I can think is a harley.


--ABS if you can't ride properly.

ABS isnt a fix all?


--Fuel injection eliminates draining carb bowls, clogged jets etc.

Injection systems can clog...

--Liquid cooling if you plan to spend a July day riding in Toronto, the world's most clogged up sucks-to-ride-in city.

--Tubeless tires, even with spokes.

Tubeless tires have been on bikes since the 70s...

--Computer controlled ignition

If you're mechanically handy your friend could be wrong:

--Carbs on old bikes are easy to maintain if you know your way around an engine.

--Air cooled engines are way less hassle from a long term maintenance perspective. No mucky gasket leaks, cracked radiators, flushing coolant, etc.

--Many modern engines still require valve shims (unless you get a Harley with hydraulic lifters). Many older engines have adjustable rockers - 100% easier to work with.

--If you can change a cam chain the red neck way stretched chains are still a drag, but a fixable problem.
What are you doing to your cam chain to stretch it??? I had a Bandit 650 with over 100k kms on it and the tensioner went but the chain was well within spec.

--Older bikes cost less on insurance.

Only if you can find a company that will insure you...

I am so confused by this post...
 
What sparked my curiosity is that I had a friend look at a 2008 kaymco venox. The seller was asking $4000. I thought that was high so I did some searching to see that when it was brand new it retailer for $4300.


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I have a Kymco Venox too..I really like it, and it suits my requirements perfectly. But 4000 is definitely overpriced.
 
Serious question. You're worried about obsolete technology and you're considering a kaymco venox?
 
Thank god. ;)
Re-sellers always ask for more than the market will bear.
You see it a lot on starter bikes like 250s/300s that sellers are asking over 6K for. In those cases, the theory is they're trying to pay off what they owe on the financing.
 

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